This conference will bring together investigators working in many different human diseases and mouse models of human disease to pool their information and to discuss in-depth why certain HLA haplotypes predispose to certain diseases, how the HLA molecules might shape the T cell repertoire in the thymus, what potential self antigens may influence the T cell repertoire, and what non-self antigens could potentially trigger disease. Experts will present recent findings on the processing and presentation of the HLA molecules, and activation of T cell subsets. Experts studying human disease as well as experimental models in rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, lupus, spondyloarthropathies, thyroiditis, myasthenia gravis, and cancer will present their recent findings. Finally, various methods of intervention in the disease and generation of immunotherapy will also be discussed. Abstracts in the above areas as well as T cell subsets, cytokines, co- stimulators, and accessory molecules related to human disease will be presented as poster, and new and interesting findings from the posters will be discussed in workshops. This meeting will bring together experts and investigators who normally do not attend the same meetings and create a forum where they can learn from each other. How tolerance occurs in cancer can be applied to induce tolerance in autoimmunity, and vice versa. Information pooled from different diseases can be used to generate a hypothesis on human immune dysfunction occurs in autoimmune diseases. The speakers we have selected represent a wide geographical distribution and includes several outstanding women scientists. This meeting will be especially beneficial for students and fellows to present abstracts, discuss their data in workshops, and have an opportunity to interact with other investigators both young and established in an informal setting. As we move towards year 2000, it is time to pool the enormous information we have gained during the past decade on basic immunogenetics and animal models to focus on human diseases as a major target for the 21st century.